The Rev. Richard E. Helmer grew up in a small town in
Kansas, the son of an Episcopal priest and a technical writer. Richard pursued chemistry and music as an undergraduate, graduating in 1997 from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance. He also studied at Northwestern University and the Aspen Music Festival. In 1999, after answering a call to ordained ministry, Richard attended the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, where he was honored with an Excellence in Ministry Scholarship. After he graduated and was ordained in 2002 in the Diocese of West Missouri, Richard began serving in the Episcopal Diocese of California.
Richard began serving as Long-term Interim of Church of Our Saviour in August, 2006 and was elected Rector in August, 2007. Ordained to the priesthood in 2002, he served previously as Vicar of Christ Episcopal Church – Sei Ko Kai, San Francisco. He presently serves in the Episcopal Diocese of California as Coordinator for the Ethnic and Multicultural Strategic Plan Working Group, and co-chair of the Stewardship Department. In the Episcopal Church, he served for three years as Secretary of the Episcopal Asiamerica Ministry Council. He also has a passion for ecumenical, interfaith, and social justice ministries and has served in several organizations in the Bay Area related to these causes for serving the dignity of Christ in all people. His sermons have been published in Sermons that Work, he writes articles regularly for Episcopal Café, and he posts frequently at his blog: Caught by the Light.
Richard is also an Associate of the Order of the Holy Cross, an Anglican order following a Benedictine rule.
When he’s not up to his ears in work in the Church or behind the computer keyboard, he’s spending time with his wife Hiroko, a native of Okayama, Japan, and their son, Daniel. Richard also continues to enjoy piano, performing and accompanying locally, as well as reading, chess, and hiking the many trails of Marin County. He lives with his family in Mill Valley.
